Browsed byMonth: May 2018

Friday 21 December 2018
CPRW Brecon & Radnor branch were successful in gaining an Injunction against further concreting works on Monday December 17th from the Cardiff High Court. We were bitterly disappointed to see this discharged yesterday 20th December in the Birmingham Civil Justice Centre. However the ‘pour’ has now been postponed until January 3rd as the Breedon Quarry is closed.

We are actively considering issuing a Judicial Review if Powys County Council agree that the pour can proceed. Central CPRW are fully behind such action and their instant response (to an urgent telephone call from the court yesterday!) has been magnificent.

Meanwhile the main action, the Section 288 Appeal against Lesley Griffiths’ incomprehensible decision to ignore Powys County Council, the just-approved Powys LDP, and the Inspector’s recommendation to reject the Developer’s appeal, will proceed at all possible speed.

The legal actions are consuming huge amounts of our time, but more worryingly huge amounts of money.

Please continue to give generously to save the Llandegley Rhos!

Many thanks, and Best Wishes to all at this Christmas Festival Season.

Jonathan Colchester – Chair B&R CPRW

Appeal Account Details: EVERY LITTLE HELPS!

B&R Branch CPRW AC 29455868 Lloyds Bank SC 30-94-99

CPRW Is a Registered Charity No 239899 – If you are a UK taxpayer, please consider filling out the gift aid form HERE. This will add 25% to your donation at no cost to you.

If paying by cheque, please make it out to “CPRW – Brecon & Radnor”. Cheques and gift aid forms should be sent to Ann Payne, Glanffrwd, Llanfihangel Talyllin, Brecon, LD3 7TL.

On Friday 14th December CPRW B&R have issued to the courts in Cardiff an urgent claim for interim stay which, if successful, will require the developer to cease all work on site until the s288 challenge to the Minister’s decision is heard by the courts. We are hoping to have a decision on this by the middle of next week and we will advise as soon as we have news. Contravention of an order for interim relief is contempt of court for which the defendant can be imprisoned, fined or have assets sequestrated.

Holly Ann Hobbs has just announced late Friday afternoon that while the developer is permitted to install steel rods, a Temporary Stop Notice will be issued if he attempts any further work beyond the installation of the rods, such as the concrete pour.

We are disappointed that the Temporary Stop Notice has not been issued with immediate effect and unable to understand why this developer has been offered any further concessions at all.

We will have to remain very vigilant. This developer has already demonstrated his contempt for planning law and is unlikely to change his behaviour now.

As you are all well aware, and many of you have already generously contributed towards the fund for legal fees for this action, CPRW B&R served papers on 6 December on Welsh Government and Interested Parties for a Section 288 Review of the Minister, Lesley Griffiths’, incomprehensible decision to allow the Hendy Wind Farm development.

As you are also well aware this challenge is being overtaken by events.

The construction work at Hendy/Llandegley Rhos began on 20th November immediately after submission of applications to discharge conditions, and continues at breakneck speed, at nights and at weekends, with no regard for permitted hours of work. The developers are evidently determined to erect one turbine before the end of January in order, it seems, to be eligible for government subsidy.

Works have taken place on the Llandegley Rhos common and more are proposed for which no planning consent has been applied for or obtained. Construction teams have been pile driving on the wind farm site and concrete is now arriving on site for the first turbine base.

This work is being carried out without any of the pre-commencement planning conditions being discharged. These conditions are all binding and the Minister’s consent is contingent upon the conditions being satisfied in full and discharged.

While heroic demonstrators at the site have done their best to delay these works on common land, we have made repeated representations to Powys County Council to enforce a halt to these illegal works without any tangible result. On 6th December Powys informed residents that the developer had been ‘advised to stop’ but that no enforcement notice had been issued. Since then the council have professed themselves unable to get ‘evidence of unacceptable harm’ – which Planning Officers maintain to be a requirement for enforcement action.

We have set out that the Council has applied the wrong tests re enforcement action and has misinterpreted material points of law to reach their decision not to enforce against construction works, which are of themselves unlawful because they have not followed approved plans, and are being undertaken without discharge of pre-commencement conditions.

We have this morning served on the Council a pre-action protocol letter, addressing the legalities of the Council’s position on enforcement. In it we demand that effective enforcement action is undertaken by the end of this week or that we will forthwith issue proceedings against them for a judicial review of the enforcement function.

It seems that the developers, Powys County Council and the Welsh Government consider they have no need to heed or uphold the law. With your help we are going to make them feel the full force of it.

Jonathan Colchester – Chair B&R CPRW

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